Although i didn’t really find the performance of The Magic Flute very enjoyable, I thought that the most impressive aspect was how Sophiline Shapiro used her native and traditional form of dance to transform a more modern form of art. It is impressive to me whenever an artist is able to do this, but especially with a thing like Cambodian dance. It is such an old, classical art form for those who practice it, that it not only takes a huge amount of skill but also a fair amount of courage. She took what was handed down from the gods to her people and applied it to western art. I can only imagine it was difficult technically while being quite emotional.
As far as the presentation at the Met, i was very interested mainly because more than i enjoy art, i enjoy the business, the market, and the maintainence of the art world. It is interesting to me that such a personal and complicated area of expression can be marketed so well. I also idea the idea that in order to deal in art, you need to have a deep knowledge of what makes art good, or profitable. Art is not something you can simply find a way to sell, you need to be able to justify its quality. I think that the second aspect of art that grabs my interest is the way that it carries the history of different cultures. In both the Cambodian dancing and the Dutch painting, an experienced eye can use the art to tell a lot about the time period, and vice versa.